Adaptive graticule

Abstract

A graticule display processor that can produce an adaptive graticule for a raster-scan output waveform monitor. The graticule may be displayed in front of the waveform, behind the waveform or mixed with the waveform. The graticule can change the waveform's color or intensity in specific regions, thereby enhancing the appearance of over range conditions. A specific use is to allow the vector functions of phase and gain to be monitored in the waveform mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A raster displayed waveform monitor comprising: a random access memory, including three memory blocks;   each of said memory blocks including a different color look-up table representative of a different primary color;   each of said color look-up tables including a plurality of memory pages representing different palettes within each color look-up table;   a multi-port memory;   means for storing a digitized waveform representative of an input signal to said multi-port memory;   said multi-port memory organized as rows and columns of memory locations for storing digitized brightness information representative of the shape, intensity, and color palette address of a waveform representative of said input signal and of a raster scanned graticule, and for storing digitized page control information indicating which of said color palettes will be addressed by said brightness information;   said color look-up tables responsive to said brightness information and said page control information to allow for coloring both said waveform and said graticule and to provide a digital output representative of the shape, intensity, and color of said waveform and said raster scanned graticule;   a digital to analog converter for converting said digital output into analog component video signals in each of the primary colors, representative of the shape, intensity, and color of said waveform and said raster scanned graticule;   said multi-port memory including memory control means for causing said brightness information and page control information to be output from said multi-port memory sequentially by row and column, the information contained in each said row corresponding to a horizontal scan line and the information in each said column corresponding to the position of a spot on said horizontal scan line;   means for displaying said waveform and said graticule on said monitor; and   control means for controlling the display of said raster scanned graticule on said monitor such that said graticule can appear to be displayed to a viewer behind, in front of or mixed with said waveform.   
     
     
       2. A monitor as in claim 1 wherein said control means include microprocessor means. 
     
     
       3. A monitor as in claim 1 further including means for receiving said input signal, and wherein said multi-port memory includes means for storing said waveform representative of said input signal and said graticule to allow accurate matching of the timing of said input signal to said graticule such that said graticule is changed as a function of said changes in said input signal. 
     
     
       4. The monitor as in claim 3 wherein the change in said graticule is the color of said graticule derived from the amplitude of said input signal. 
     
     
       5. A monitor as in claim 3 wherein the change in said graticule is the addition of limit information when said input signal is near a predetermined limit. 
     
     
       6. A monitor as in claim 3 wherein said change in said graticule is the addition of limit boxes as said input signal is near said predetermined limit. 
     
     
       7. The monitor as in claim 3 including analog to digital converter means for converting said input signal to a digital signal. 
     
     
       8. The monitor as in claim 7 wherein said processor means generates column address or horizontal information signals from said digital signals corresponding to the horizontal sweep in said monitor. 
     
     
       9. The monitor as in claim 8 wherein said processor means generates row address or vertical information signals from said digital signals corresponding to the vertical amplifier in said monitor. 
     
     
       10. The monitor as in claim 8 wherein said processor means generates brightness and page control signals from said digital signals. 
     
     
       11. A monitor as in claim 1 including means for representing vector functions of phase and gain representative of said waveform display. 
     
     
       12. The monitor of claim 11 wherein said vector functions of phase and gain are in limits blocks on said waveform. 
     
     
       13. The monitor as in claim 1 wherein said processor means includes means for selecting different palettes within said random access memory. 
     
     
       14. The monitor as in claim 13 wherein the selected palettes are set so that a brightness level of zero corresponds to the graticule color such that said waveform appears to be in front of said graticule. 
     
     
       15. The monitor of claim 13 wherein the selected palettes are changed to be constant with the input brightness level such that the selection of said palettes with graticule position will make said waveform to appear behind said graticule. 
     
     
       16. The monitor as in claim 13 wherein the selected palettes cause said waveform to appear to be mixed with said graticule. 
     
     
       17. The monitor as in claim 13 wherein said processor means includes means for changing the color of said waveform in different regions of said display in response to said input signals. 
     
     
       18. The monitor as in claim 17 including means for creating said palettes and the regions of page control information in said multi-port memory which selects palettes so that when said waveform passes from one region to another, a different palette is selected. 
     
     
       19. The monitor as in claim 18 wherein color changes in the different regions indicate overvoltage or undervoltage conditions so that with three color component television signals, said overvoltage and undervoltage conditions at specific times on a color-bar test signal indicate color phase and gain error so that color phase and gain may be monitored by the appearance of the waveform color on said monitor.